The recipes that follow have been collected from various sources;- friends, books and restaurants, during my visits of 93 and 94.

You will not find any vegetable dishes here. Apart from therestaurants catering for tourists, the only vegetables I came acrosswere plain boiled (potatoes, cauliflower etc.) or a few bhindi(okra) etc. thrown in with a curry. Travel to Kerala if it is veges.you desire.

Where available I have added the Portuguese names for the recipes(Goa was a Portuguese colony until the 1960's and is evident inmany of the dishes).

A word of warning. Most dishes are hot, pungent and some very vinegary, so be prepared.

A few notes on ingredients._____________________________

Chillies :-The dried red chillies used are mostly Goan or Kashmiri. They are milder than those available elsewhere, hence the large quantities may need to be reduced to suit whatever is available. The flavour of course will suffer. Perhaps a mixture of hot dried chillies and a mild chilli powder may be a suitable alternative. I am afraid you are on your own though, this lucky person brought a kilo of kashmiri's (the chillies that is) home with him.

Garlic :-Many Goans do not like excessive garlic. They will often cook the garlic cloves whole and discard them. The local garlic itself seems to help here, being milder than most I have come across.That said, you will find some dishes that are heavy on the garlic.

Vinegar :-Two type are normally available -1) 'Local' or toddy vinegar. Toddy is the sap of coconut palms.2) Mass produced coconut vinegar, usually made with flavourings.The first of course gives the best results. Substitute a mild white vinegar.

Spices :-The Goans are among the 'stone ground' camp when it comes to grinding, insisting that the flavour is superior. Whichever method you use, please grind freshly for every meal and get it as finely ground as possible.

Coconut milk :-Take 1 coconut, remove flesh and grate.Cover grated coconut with boiling water. When cool, blend for a few minutes and then strain. Repeat a second time to obtain a thinner milk.I have found that the dried coconut powders give acceptable results (a lot easier as well).

Mackerel Para / Peixe Tamarindo (Fish pickle)_____________Para is prepared prior to the onset of the monsoon, when fresh fish may not always be available.It is commercially available, sold in plastic packets. Unfortunately, as with a lot of Indian packaging, it does not stand up to a 12 hour air journey - I speak with experience.Although this dish may sound a little horrendous, it is really good.

Clean the fish and remove head, tail, fins and de-scale. Cut into small steaks, rub with salt and turmeric and set aside for about 1 hour.Grind spices, garlic and ginger in a little vinegar.Fry the fish until tender. Fry the masala for a couple of minutes then add the remaining vinegar. Cook for a further 10 minutes on a low heat.When the fish and masala has thoroughly cooled, place the fish in a sterilized jar and cover with the masala/vinegar mixture.

Consume after 3-4 weeks as per mackerel para.

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Balchao (prawn preserve)________________________Many Asian countries have a balchao type preserve. It is used either in the preparation of other dishes ;- see Balchao de peixe (fish balchao) and Balchao de porco (pork balchao), or served as an accompaniment to other dishes.

Grind together the cummin, peppercorns and chillies with the vinegar. Mix in the turmeric.Fry the onions in the oil until all the water have gone.Add the prawns, masala, curry leaves, garlic, ginger and green chillies.Simmer for 10 minutes or so.

Clean and wash the fish. Cut into small steaks, rub in salt and set aside.Grind all the other ingredients bar the onion into a paste (masala) with a little water. Fry the onion until brown. Add the masala and fry for a minute.Add 1 cup of water. Bring to boil then add fish. Cook on low heat until tender. A little salt and vinegar may be added if desired.

Clean and wash the fish. Cut into small steaks, rub in salt and vinegar and set aside.Grind the spices.Extract a thick milk from the coconut (see intro).Add the ground spices to the coconut and pass through the blender again to extract a thin milk.Fry the onions and tomato in the oil, add the thin coconut milk. Bring to the boil and add the chillies, fish and thick coconut milk.Simmer until fish is cooked.

Caldine is also prepared using hard boiled eggs or bhindi (okra/ladies fingers).

Layer a few slices of onion and tomato in a pan.Place 1/2 the fish over onions an tomato.Add another layer of onion/tomato and then another layer of fish.Sprinkle with the garlic and ginger. Scatter over the remaining onion and tomato.Pour the oil, vinegar and about 6-7 tblsp water over the fish. add salt is desired.Cook on a low heat until fish is half done. Sprinkle turmeric over fish.Add peppers/chillies.Cook until fish is tender.

Grind together the masala mix in enough vinegar to give a thick paste.Fry the onions until brown, add the masala and fry for about 5 minutes over a low heat. Add the balchao and continue to cook.In a separate pan fry the fish slightly.Add the masala/onion mixture to the fish, adding a little water if the paste is too thick.Simmer until the fish is cooked.Serve with plain boiled rice.

Sprinkle lemon juice and salt onto fish and marinade for an hour or so.Grind the coconut, dry chillies, cummin seeds and garlic together.Mix the onion, ginger and green chillis and mash with the turmeric.Add the chopped mango. Add the ground masala and 1 cup of water.Simmer slowly for 10 minutes.Add fish and cook slowly until the fish is done.Serve with plain boiled rice.

Clean and boil the fish in lightly salted water. Remove bones (if any) and mash together with the potatoes,chilli powder, turmeric and pepper. Add enough lime juice and stock to moisten. Add salt if required.Form into oval rolls, dip in the egg then coat with breadcrumbs.Deep fry until golden.

A similar dish called bombils may be made using the above method. Here bombay duck, soaked for 1 hour and then de-boned and mashed, is used instead of the fresh fish.

Skin and chop the tomatoes then pass through a sieve to remove seeds.Grind together the turmeric, peppercorns, cloves and cummin.Extract a thick and thin milk from the coconut.

Fry the onion, ginger, garlic and chillies in a little oil until onions are slightly brown.Add spice mix and fry for 30 second or so.Add the prawns (if using cooked prawns add at the end of the cooking) and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato juice and cook for 5 minutes.Add the thin coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes.Add the thick coconut milk and cook until the sauce is thick.

Serve with rice.Note : I was told this may be served with roasted dried prawns, never got totry them though.

Grind the chillies, corriander, cummin and peppercorns.Fry the onions, garlic and ginger until the onions have browned.Add the masala, fry for a minute then add the tomatoes and curry leaves and green chillies.Cook for a minute or so and then add the prawns and coconut milk and fresh corriander.Cook on a low heat until sauce has thickened.

Grind together the chillies, cummin, peppercorns, garlic and ginger. Mix in the turmeric.Fry the onions in a little oil until golden brown. Add the tomato and prawns. Fry for a minute. Add the masala, tamarind and vinegar.Cover and cook until prawns are done.

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Fish in white sauce___________________The sauce used for this is just a plain old bechemel, with the addition of a good dose of ground black pepper.

Fry the sliced ingredients until the onion browns.Add one or two cups of water and the peppercorns.Bring to the boil and add the fish and vinegar. Gently simmer until the fish is done.Serve with you own favourite bechemel.

1Kg chicken, cut into desired pieces (or or off the bone)6 tblsp ghee10 onions2 coconuts - thick and thin milk extracted from one, the other grated androasted in a large pan with two of the onions (sliced) and a little ghee. This should be roated until the coconut has gone apale brown.Grind this roasted coconut/onion mixture.

2 tblsp corriander seeds5 peppercorns15 dried red chilliesdry roast the above and grind into a paste with a little water and add1tsp turmeric

dry roast the following and grind into a paste with a little water6 cloves1/2 inch piece cinnamon1/2 nutmeg3/4 tblsp aniseed1tblsp poppy seeds

2 limes

Chop four of the onions and fry until light brown.Add the chicken and brown.Add the corriander etc. paste, fry for a minute and then add the thin coconut milk.Cook until chicken is tender.Cut the remaining onions into quarters and add to the chicken, along with the roated coconut and cinnnamon etc, paste.Simmer for a few minutes then add the thick coconut milk.Add salt if required.Simmer for 10 minutes or so until sauce has thickened.Sprinkle over some lime juice prior to serving.

Grind the cummin, mustard, chillies and garlic. Add the turmeric and enouch vinegar to form a paste.Rub the paste all over the chicken pieces and marinade for as long as possible. Fry the onion until brown then add the chicken and brown.Add a small amount of water (enough to stop the chicken drying out) and simmer until chicken is tender.Add salt and vinegar to taste and cook for a few minutes more.

Note :- This is equally good when lime juice is used in the spice mixtureinstead of vinegar.

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Chicken Cafreal _______________Cafreal is one of those dishes where anything seems to go. I was given many variants, exept the one I wanted. A small restaurant in the back of beyondserved the most wonderful Cafreal, so good the locals were queuing up for tables. The owner though, flatly refused to give me his recipe.Cafreal is essentially chicken (whole or jointed) marinated in chillies, lime juice (or vinegar) and spices, then either deep fried, barbecued or roasted.

The following recipe is my interpretation but I am still working on it. I have used the roasting method as this produces a great gravy.I also recommend that you make a stock from the chicken carcass, it adds anextra dimension to a risotto.

Rub the salt and lime juice over the chicken (also inside if whole).Grind all the other ingredients together and rub over the chicken.Cover and marinade over night in the fridge.

Heat oven to 325C. Place the chicken in a roasting tray and cover with foil(this is important - the chicken must be moist when done and the spices must not burn). For a 4lb chicken, cook for about 2 hrs (adjust the time to the size of bird or if chicken joints are used). Baste several times during cooking. For the last 15 minutes of cooking, remove the foil.

Remove the chicken from the roasting tray and leave to rest.You now have two options for the 'gravy'. Either collect the pan juices as is (no don't skim the fat off) or skim the fat, deglaze and make a gravy as normal. When I had it in India it was served just with the pan juices.

Notes :- If a whole chicken was used, then cut into two halves post cooking, do not carve into slices ;- this is meant to be eaten with your hands.Serve with plenty of bread to dip the juices up.Why not roast some root veges and garlic in the roasting tray while you are at it.

Grind the spices and finely chop the onion, chillies, garlic and ginger.Fry the onion until brown. Add the garlic, ginger and green chillies. Cook fora minute or so. Add the ground spices, followed by the chicken. Fry until thechicken has browned then add about 1/2 cup of water, the salt, tamarind andvinegar. Cover and cook until chicken is tender. Add the coconut milk an simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens.

Fry the onions in a little oil until browned.Meanwhile grind together the spices.

Add the chicken, chopped chillies, garlic and ginger to the pan and cook for a minute or so. Add the ground spices and salt and again cook for a minute or so.Now add the thick and thin coconut milk so that the milk just covers the chicken.When chicken is cooked (about 20-30 minutes) add the vinegar and simmer until the sauce has thickened.Serve with rice

Boil the meat in just enough water to cover, with one of the onions, the peppercorns and salt. Cook for about 10 minutes.Slice the remaining onions and finely chop the ginger, garlic, chillies, corriander and mint.Fry the onions until translucent then add the other chopped ingredients.Add the boiled meat and the strained cooking water.Cook until meat is done. Add tamarind and continue cooking until the liquid has evaporated.

Finely slice 8 cloves of garlic and 1 inch of the ginger.Grind together the dry chillies, cummin, peppercorns and the remaining garlic and ginger. Add the turmeric to this mixture.Fry the onions,garlic and ginger (the green masala) until brown. Add the pork, brown, then add the ground masala. Fry for 10 minutes or so over a low to moderate heat. Add water, sufficient to cover pork and simmer. When water has reduced by half add the green chillies, tamarind, sugar, salt and vinegar (about 1-3 tblspns). Continue cooking on a low heat, covered, until meat is tender and gravy is thick.

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Sorpotel I__________

Sorpotel is a dish served at festivals. It is served with sannas, a type ofrice bread. I have included the recipe for sannas, even though you will notbe able to make it ;- it uses the sap of the coconut palm (toddy) as the source of yeast.

Wash and boil the uncut pork, liver and heart. Cool and cube into small pieces thenbrown in a little pork fat, remove and set aside.

Add ginger, garlic and onions and fry until onions change colour.Add masala and stir and fry for a minute or so then return meat to pan along with thetamarind and some of the vinegar if more liquid is required.Cook on a low heat for 1- 1 1/2 hours until meat is tender.Add the chillies and blood (which may require a good stir prior to adding T.H.), cook for another ten minutes or so.

Boil the meat with 2 cups of water until liquid reduces by half. Reserve theboiling liquid.Cool then cut the meat into cubes. Fry in a little oil until brown.Add the green chillies, garlic and ginger.Grind together the dried chillies, peppercorns, cummin and corriander with a little vinegar, add the tamarind to this mixture. Add this masala to the meat and fry for a few minutes.Add the reserved boiling liquid, salt, tamarind and vinegar.Simmer, covered until the meat is tender.

Wash the rice and soak overnight.Drain then grind the rice finely with some of the toddy.Grate and then finely grind the coconut.

Mix the rice, coconut, 1/2 tsp salt and about 4 tblsp (or more) sugar.Add enough toddy to make a thick batter.Cover and keep in a warm place for about 3 hours until batter doubles in quantity.Pour batter into saucers or idli moulds and steam for 20 minutes.To check if the sannas are done, pierce with a knife. If the knife comes out clean then the sannas are done.

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Pork Balchao____________Please see part 1 (fish) for the preperation of the balchao, or buy a commercial preperation.

Rub the pork with salt and set aside.Fry the onions until browned. Add the meat and brown. Add the masala, ketchup and balchao and fry for a few minutes.Add 2-3 cups of water, bring to the boil and simmer until meat is tender.If the liquid dries out add a little vinegar and or water.

Boil the meat, peppercorns, one onion and salt for 20 minutes, drain and reserve the water.Slice the remaining onions and finely chop the ginger, garlic, chillies, corriander and mint.Fry the onions until translucent. Add the remaining chopped ingredients and meat.Pour in about 1 cup of the reserved water and simmer until the meat is done.Add the tamarind and continue cooking, uncovered over a high heat until themoisture has evaporated.

Grind together all the ingredients (except meat). Add a little water to make a paste.Mix masala with meat and marinate for two hours.Fry the meat in a little oil over a low heat for about 20 minutes.Add 1 cup of water and simmer until meat is tender.

In a little oil fry the onions until they start to brown.Add the remaining ingredients other than the kidney.Fry for 5 minutes then add the kidney, salt and pepper. Cook until done.Serve on either fried or toasted bread.

Cut the limes into quarters, salt and keep, covered for 3-4 days.Grind together the chillies, turmeric, cummin and mustard. Peel the garlic but keep cloves whole. Slice the ginger.Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the garlic, ginger and curry leaves and cook until the garlic has browned slightly.Add the ground spices and chopped green chillies. Cook for a minute or so and then add the vinegar. Wash the limes in a little vinegar and add to the pan along with the sugar.Bring to the boil and cook for 15-20 minutes over a low heat.Cool and bottle. Eat after 3-4 weeks.

Clean the limes and chop into smallish pieces, removing the seeds. Keep any lime juice that collects whilst chopping.Finely slice the garlic, ginger and chillies.Mix together all the ingredients except the vinegar.Cook over a low heat until mixture is thick.Add the vinegar and simmer for 5 minutes.Cool and bottle.Eat after 3-4 weeks.

Wash and dry the gherkins. Slice lengthwise into 1/4inch slices. Rub with salt and leave for an hour or so.Heat the oil and fry the ground masala for a few minutes.Add vinegar, bring to boil then add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add gherkins and cook until tender.Cool and bottle.

Peel and cube the half-ripe mangoes. Mix with the sugar and set aside for an hour.Peel and chop the ripe mangoes.Grind the ginger and garlic with a little of the vinegar. Add to the sugaredmangoes along with the salt and chilli powder.Cook over a low heat until the cubes mangoes are tender.Cool and bottle.

Peel and cube the mangoes. Mix with salt and turmeric, Cover with a heavy weight and leave for 3 days, stirring the mixture daily.

Heat the oil and fry the asafoetida, turmeric and fenugreek. Remove spices and set aside and when cool grind to a fine powder.

Add 5 tblsp of the mustard seed to the pan. When the seed begin to pop, remove from the heat and allow to cool.Dry roast the remaining mustard seeds and then grind them.Mix all the spices together with the chilli powder.

Drain the mangoes from the water that has collected, mix well with the spices and bottle.Can be eaten after a week or so.